Leaders wooing GOP convention
By Jeff Gallatin
Bay Village
Published August 16, 2006

Mayor Debbie Sutherland is continuing her efforts to put out the welcome mat and is working with other Northern Ohio officials at convincing national Republican Party officials into bringing the 2008 GOP national convention to Cleveland.

Sutherland, who is president of the Cuyahoga County Mayors and Managers Association, said the latest round of efforts began last week with the Aug. 9 breakfast at the City Club for National Republican Party Chairman Ken Mehlman and will continue with visits by more GOP officials Aug. 22 through 24.

“There wasn’t a lot of notice about the event. I think the City Club had about a week and we just found about it that Monday,” Sutherland said. “A lot of people got together in a hurry to get tables and get people in there to show how interested we are as a city to host the event.”

Sutherland said it’s not just area Republicans pushing to host the event.

“Mayor (Frank) Jackson has been working very hard at this,” Sutherland said. “He bought six to eight tables and got people there, so we’ve been working very hard at the Mayors and Managers Association with Mayor Jackson and the city of Cleveland as well as the Cuyahoga County Republican Party and others. When you looked around at that particular event, you saw some Republican mayors, Democratic mayors and a couple of independents. It’s a truly bipartisan effort to bring something here which would benefit Cleveland and the surrounding area with its impact.”

Sutherland said there was some good humor attached to the bipartisan effort while working on making Mehman’s visit to the Cleveland area a positive one.

“We told him (Jackson) that while looking at the different Democrats that it was a great that we were finally getting those Democrats to become Republicans,” she said.

She said Jackson’s willingness to work with all parties and both the public and private sector is crucial to the effort.

“Mayor Jackson has just been great,” Sutherland said. “He’s definitely working at taking a regional approach to this and other projects. He realizes that for Cleveland to be a major player in this and other projects, we have to have that regional approach to succeed.”

Sutherland said the work on the project is ongoing.

“People are always doing something on it because we know we can compete with those other cities  (Minneapolis, New York and Tampa Bay) trying to get the convention,” Sutherland said. “You have the politicians, the business community and the parties involved and we want to get the public involved because this can bring jobs, national attention and be a huge benefit to the entire region.”

She said when GOP officials are in town Aug. 22-24 there will be additional work since the Republicans will be evaluating different city facilities such as hotel rooms and potential meeting venues.

“There will be a reception at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame that myself and others will be at,” she said. “Other people will be busy working with the officials during their visit.”

Other public officials are also supporting the effort to bring the GOP here in 2008.

“It would be tremendous for the entire area and a fine way to show that you have to take a regional approach now,” said North Olmsted Mayor Thomas O’Grady, who also is head of the Westshore Council of Governments this year. “In many ways we all have to look at working together for economic and social reasons.”

O’Grady said sharing resources and cooperation are ways area governments can help the area prosper in the future.

“Having different governmental bodies and groups work together on this is a fine way of helping build a level of trust and cooperation which will aid us all in the future,” O’Grady said.